O God,

You are the source of light that enlightens the mind with the splendor of truth.
We ask you to bless all the Catholic elementary and secondary schools in our
diocese with a strong faith in You, who alone are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Bless all our parish families who follow Your guidance as they sacrifice to make Catholic education
available to all, from the greatest to the least among us.

We thank you for the gift of our Catholic Schools, our teachers, staff and volunteers, 
our parents and children, our faithful parishioners - our entire Catholic family.

Together they make it possible for our youth to be formed as disciples of Christ
who know Him in the Scriptures and "in the breaking of the bread,"
who love Him in their brothers and sisters,
and who serve Him in all they do for the glory of God and the good of others,
that throughout their lives they may experience the happiness of belonging to God
and come one day to perfect joy You forever as saints in heaven

Amen.

Support Your Child’s Reading Success!

Dear Families,

Did you know? Kids who read for just 20 minutes a day are more successful in school and life. Ordering from Scholastic Book Clubs is an easy way to find the best books that are just right for your child’s grade and interests.

Here’s how:

Choose books with your child from the paper flyers or online at: scholastic.com/bookclubs

To order online, connect to our class using our School Code (or look us up by our school name): Sacred Heart Catholic School

School Code:  TKJVH

Bonus: This month, you can pick a FREE Book (up to $5) when you place an online order of $25 or more!

As soon as your order is delivered to our school, I will send it home with your child.

Plus every order you place earns FREE Books for our school to share.

Thank you for your support and happy reading,

Adam Butler

(Principal)

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Deut 6: 2-6 / Heb 7: 23-28 / Mk 12: 28B-34

In today's Gospel, Jesus gives us the two great commandments -- First, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  Second, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.  These commandments not only encompass all 10 commandments given to Moses, they also encompass Stewardship, as we define it in our diocese.  To be "fully alive as missionary disciples" requires us to recognize and receive God's gifts and to share those gifts in love of God and neighbor.   Whether you proclaim God's word as a lector, hold a regular hour of Adoration, serve on a committee, volunteer in a classroom, or serve your elderly parents, visit a sick neighbor, or even participate in the election process as a citizen, you are practicing Stewardship.  When you do these things out of love (rather than obligation), you are showing your dedication God and your neighbor.  The scribe in today's reading understood that love for God and neighbor is worth more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices man could offer.   Clearly love is key to discipleship.

Good morning my Sacred Heart family, and thank you father for allowing me to speak.  If you have not yet met me, or you don't know who I am, I'm Adam Butler. I am your Sacred Heart Catholic school principal! I've been working in the Catholic diocese for the last 11 years.  I'm honored to work with all of you in spreading Sacred Heart's mission in forming compassionate disciples of Christ in loving God and loving neighbor. In this weekend’s bulletin, you can find an insert telling more about me.   

The school year is off to a great start.  We have exceeded our enrollment goal with 93 students enrolled, which is up 7% from last year. Sacred Heart met all the requirements of last year's Diocesan and State assessments! Excellent work students and teachers!  This summer, the reading, science, and religion curriculums have been updated and we are establishing a rotation to keep resources current. I have been getting to know the students and parents this last month. I truly feel great things are happening here at Sacred Heart Catholic school, which I can attribute to the dedication of teachers, staff, parents, and students.  I would also like to give my sincere gratitude to the parishioners of Sacred Heart. Thank you for your generosity in being stewards of God's gifts.

I will be dedicated in establishing ways of communicating what is happening at your Sacred Heart Catholic school.   Some ways are through the Sacred Heart website, Facebook page, monthly bulletin inserts, and the weekly Herald. You  can find us on the Internet by searching Sacred Heart Ark City, and you can find us on Facebook the same way. Bookmark us and like us. Also look for the insert every month updating you about the school.   You can also find the weekly Herald online at the Sacred Heart Website. I would like to thank the students that attended and participated in the 1st children's mass. Thank you for singing in the choir loft, students.   

Like I said earlier, I am honored and I'll be dedicated in sharing my gifts and talents with you, my Sacred Heart family. I would like to again say thank you, because by serving you; you help me grow in my Faith.  Please pray for me as I pray for you, and have a blessed day.

Wow!!  Summer is gone and school is about to begin. I would like to welcome back all the Sacred Heart families and extend sincere greetings to the new families joining us this year. I am looking forward to working with all of you in fulfilling Sacred Heart Catholic School’s Mission.  I would like to thank all that have helped in preparation for the new school year. Your help is greatly appreciated. The teachers and staff have been working hard making sure this will be a great year at Sacred Heart Catholic School. I am excited to report this year we will have a few curriculum updates. Kindergarten and 1st grade will be using a new Language Arts series.  1st grade-5th grade will be using Nancy Larson science series. Most importantly, we will be using a new religion text that is custom made for the Wichita Diocese. I hope to see you at Back-Pack Night. Please remember all of us in your prayers, as I pray for you. Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on Us.

                                                               
Thank you, for the hospitality that I have witnessed from Sacred Heart this summer.  I am honored and excited to serve you as your principal this up and coming school year. I will be committed in working with all of you in creating a Catholic Faith centered atmosphere where students can have the best elementary education in Arkansas City.  Registration will be on August 1st from 10 am -7pm hope to meet and see all the Sacred Heart parents then. Please pray for me as I pray for you.

With Christ’s love,

Adam Butler